Giant Slalom at Kronplatz – Camille Rast: Transferring her strong form to the Giant Slalom – Sport

The next giant slalom race is on the program in Kronplatz on Tuesday. Camille Rast reached the top ten there for the first time.

Almost exactly 7 years ago, when Camille Rast was 17, he broke into the top 10 in a World Cup race for the first time. In the giant slalom at Kronplatz in northern Italy, she placed a strong ninth. She revealed before her return that she still looks back fondly on this race. For good reason: she has only been better in this discipline once, in 2021 she finished seventh in Linz.

In the still young year of 2024, Rast is going stronger than ever. Her last four starts have yielded the same number of top-10 results, her first in a giant slalom since the race in Linz. The two fourth-place finishes in the slalom in Kranjska Gora and Jasna – excluding the team events – are synonymous with their best World Cup rankings.

I still need some time in the giant slalom.

Rast now wants to maintain her strong form (slalom) in the giant slalom in Kronplatz, but realizes that she still has room for improvement in this discipline: “I still lack a little consistency in the giant slalom due to the different track settings. If the track is fast… “It will be difficult to find the exact approach to the turns, so you still need a little time.”

After a year at Salomon, the 24-year-old from the Lower Valais region returned to her old clothing business this winter, one reason for the patience she needed. Rast was somewhat lacking in consistency when it came to the material, which is not the case with her mental work, which she has been working on with her fitness coach for several seasons: “It helps me work on a physical and psychological level.” “The mental aspects, which are closely related, at the same time.”

She doesn't see herself under time pressure anyway, because there are many athletes in the best giant slalom in the world who are around 30 years old. One of these athletes is Lara Gut-Bahrami.

I try to keep the momentum going, not worry too much and just follow my gut feeling.

The 32-year-old from Ticino has been on the podium 4 times in 7 giant slalom races this winter and won 2nd place, while Rast recently enjoyed a weekend, Gut Bahrami had a busy weekend of racing with 3 races to his name. “I try to take the good momentum with me, not worry too much and follow my gut feeling,” says the winner of Sunday's Super-G race in Cortina.

In addition to Rast and Gut Bahrami, there are four other Swiss women at the start: Simone Wilde, Melanie Maillard, Yasmina Sutter and Andrea Ellenberger.